Dying Consciously

[a_shikhs]

I have been reading quite a few books lately- both on Shamanism and Sufism. Both of them talk about dying consciously in order to free your spirit from old baggage and death. Sufism talks about killing your naf (lower self) in order to attain the higher self.

I know this would refer to killing your ego and being more humble and not getting carried away by the material world. Is there any other hidden meaning to this?

Coincidentally, my monthly card for May is Death. Shedding layers of skin (past) like the serpent. I'm trying to dig deep here and understand the deep meaning of dying consciously. Any advice/thoughts would be great.

 

[Mi-Shell]

First
learn to
LIVE consciously!
In the Here and Now
Always!

Then
Death too
will be in the Here and Now.

 

[a_shikhs]

But sometimes it is required to experience conscious death first in order to truly enjoy and experience life consciously.

 

[Milfoil]

I think what Mi-Shell may be saying is that one has to understand what conscious means - live now, be present, be conscious of everything, feel the flow and live in the interconnectedness of everything before you can understand what the death of that consciousness is or means. One has to know a thing before one can comprehend whether or not it is present.

There is a BIG industry built around living and dying consciously in the West, shamanic weekend workshops which teach us how to live consciously and when the time comes, to enter death consciously.

I'm not sure one can have a near death/conscious death experience via meditative methods which fully encompasses the depth of release that is necessary. It is a very different mindset to consciously journey or meditate upon death and shedding the ego than it is to actually be faced with it and have no option.

 

[a_shikhs]

I'm not sure one can have a near death/conscious death experience via meditative methods which fully encompasses the depth of release that is necessary. It is a very different mindset to consciously journey or meditate upon death and shedding the ego than it is to actually be faced with it and have no option.

Hi Millie In order to fully experience death at a conscious level, is it then necessary to be led and guided by a teacher (as one alone may find it difficult to experience it in meditation)?